Epic Battle!

I will admit that I am a history junkie! My wife knows that if we travel somewhere together, we will be stopping at every historic site along the way and that I am one of those people that feel compelled to read every plaque in every museum! She is quite patient with me!

However, there is one battle site that I have never seen, but it is the site of the most epic battle of all time. It was a battle that determined the very fate of all mankind and yet there were only a handful of people involved in the battle. Unlike many of the great battles of history, very few people even knew it was taking place and at the end of the day, there appeared to be only one casualty...and that casualty was a spotless lamb. You see this battle had been shaping up since before the foundation of the world. You see, nothing that happened after Creation was an accident or a surprise! God knew we would need someone to pay the penalty for our sins. So before "In the beginning..." God planned for our sin and for our redemption with the death of His Son. And on a small hill outside of Jerusalem, the battle for the souls and hearts of men took place. The forces of evil were represented by satan and all his minions, and yet the forces for good were represented by one solitary individual who really put up no fight at all. He did not speak a word of command in the battle, in fact, he did nothing to defend himself. He was lead to the small hill and with the pounding of a Roman hammer on 3 iron spikes, it appeared that the battle was over, once and for all, and that the forces of evil had finally taken complete control of God's creation.

However, like many battles, it took awhile for the dust to settle and to determine the real impact of the battle. In this case it took exactly three days, but for those three days, satan and his demons rejoiced at the fact that the One who was sent to redeem the souls of men was now dead and entombed along with any hope for redemption. As the dawn broke that third day, a sad group of disciples came to the tomb. They had no idea that the battle was still raging and that they were about to see the event that would change the course of eternity. When they reached the tomb and looked inside expecting to find a body of the One they had followed, they saw grave clothes, but no body! I can imagine that at that point a demonic scream echoed through the halls of time and eternity as satan realized that not only had he lost the battle, but the war was over and he had been utterly and completely defeated for all time. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you and I were redeemed from the penalty of our sin for all time.

Most people do not think of Easter as a time to remember a battle, but I think it is the perfect time!

Goodbye's Are Hard

We said goodbye to my dad this past week. My dad, Garland Clinton Miller went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, March 9, 2010. He left behind a legacy of faith that will live on in countless lives that were touched by him.

Some people would look at his life and see that he never made a lot of money, never found a miracle cure for some terrible disease, travelled extensively or any of the other things that are seen as marks of worldly success. Those people are the same ones that would say he just lived an ordinary life. Those people could not be more wrong. You see, my dad knew the secret to living a life that would be more successful and make more impact than any riches or fame on this earth. To him it was as simple as this...to view everything through the eyes of eternity and to follow after God with his whole heart. He knew that the only thing that really mattered and had lasting impact was a life lived in Jesus Christ. My dad, along with my mom, raised four children, who in turn have raised eight grandchildren, who in turn have given him two great grandchildren (with one more on the way!) He loved everyone of those lives, too!

So what made his life so different from most peoples...just one thing - his commitment and love for Jesus Christ. So, what did my dad accomplish in this life? He was married to my mom for over 57 years and he loved her more the day he died than when they first met. He served our nation in the cause of freedom and was awarded the Bronze Star as a hospital corpsman, attached to the 1st Marine Division at Inchon and Chosin Reservoir. Years later, he told my brother and me that they called the Korean Conflict a "police action", but that it seemed like a war to him. He worked for the same company for more than 40 years and was respected and always worked "as unto the Lord." As I grew into adulthood, I saw him accept and love the woman I married, just as he did his own children. I saw this repeated with every addition to the family, when my brother and sisters were married. In 1978, he met his first grandchild and gave his heart away once more, to a precious granddaughter. Over the years, I think he was the only person who was wrapped tighter around her little finger than me! Over the next 20+ years, he saw six grandsons and one more granddaughter born and he loved everyone of them. In fact, they will all tell you that he loved them too much to let them get away with things they shouldn't! In 2003, he saw his first granddaughter married, to a U. S. Naval officer, and again he accepted and loved him like one of his own! In 2005, he met his first great-grandson and became Papaw G.C. to Mark Garrett and later to Luke. Like all the previous grandchildren, they became Papaw G.C.'s hammerheads! Throughout these years, he served faithfully as a deacon and later an elder at his church. He taught every grandson to hunt and to appreciate the beauty of God's creation. I am sorry that he never had the chance to take his great grandsons hunting, but we will make sure they know what he taught us, and not just about hunting!

On Saturday, we held a memorial service for my dad. The chapel was packed with people who had felt the impact of his life...family, friends, friends of family and even friends of friends, who had been touched in some way, by his life. A number of people said that it was "the best funeral" they had ever attended! He would have liked that. He would have liked the fact that we celebrated his life, more than mourned his passing. In the book of Psalms, Psalm 71 is one that was written by David, as he approached the end of his life. In verse 18, David tells us, "So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come." My dad proclaimed His might to at least three more generations and I have no doubt that will have eternal impacts that we can never imagine!

I was proud to be his friend and hunting companion, but mostly I am proud to have known this quiet man of God as my dad! I will miss him, but I will see him again and we will walk across heaven's expanse together.